The present invention generally relates to label applicator for applying labels to one or more surfaces. In particular, the present invention relates to a system and method for inhibiting peeling of a radio frequency identification (“RFID”) label from a label web.
Current packaging and labeling systems provide apparatuses and methods for applying labels to surfaces of packages in a singular or assembly line fashion. Typically, a label application apparatus includes a web unwind reel, a substrate with several labels adhered to the substrate, a peeling edge and a waste rewind reel. The substrate is commonly referred to as a web. The peeling edge may be any elongated edge over which the web may be pulled. For example, the peeling edge may be a single surface area or corner edge of a rectangular bar.
The web and labels are supplied from the unwind reel. The web is pulled in a linear direction towards the peeling edge, across the edge, and back towards the waste rewind reel. The waste rewind reel or a drive spool adjacent to the rewind reel may provide the pulling force required to pull the web from the unwind reel, across the peeling edge and onto the waste rewind reel.
Labels are separated from the web as the web is pulled across the peeling edge. Typically, the web is pulled towards the peeling edge from the unwind reel at an acute angle. Similarly, the web is pulled from the peeling edge towards the waste rewind wheel at an acute angle. By pulling the web across the peeling edge at an acute angle and/or by pulling the web back from the peeling edge at an acute angle, as the web crosses the peeling edge and is pulled back towards the waste rewind reel, the label separates from the web. The label may then be placed on a surface of a package located under the peeling edge.
Generally, labels are used to store and/or provide identification information. The information may include any one or more of the contents of a package, a manufacturer or pricing information, for example. Current systems may use a barcode printed on the label to provide identification information. Once the barcode has been printed on the label and the label has been applied to a package, a scanner may be used to retrieve information associated with the barcode.
Other systems may utilize RFID tags or labels to store and obtain identification information from a package. RFID tags are more complex than barcode labels. RFID tags allow a user to identify unique items, such as identification information for example, using radio waves. A typical RFID tag operates by communicating with a reader or antenna. The antenna may transmit an encoding signal, transmit a read signal and/or receive a response signal.
RFID tags usually include a microchip upon which digital information may be stored. However, RFID tags may instead include material that reflects back a portion of incoming radio waves towards an antenna.
In operation, an antenna is placed near the web and RFID labels as they are pulled from the unwind reel to the peeling edge. As the labels pass under the antenna, the antenna may transmit an encode signal. The encode signal may include, for example, identification information to be stored in the RFID label before placing the label on a package.
The antenna may also transmit a read signal to an RFID tag. The read signal may be a signal attempting to read information stored in the RFID tag. For example, the RFID tag may include a transponder that transmits a response signal when a read signal is received. For example, after an antenna transmits a read signal to the RFID tag, a transponder replies by transmitting a response signal to the antenna. The response signal may include identification information. Based at least in part on this response signal, the antenna may determine that the tag is either “good” (for example, the tag is properly encoded and is readable by the antenna) or “bad” (for example, the tag is improperly encoded and/or is un-readable by the antenna).
After the label has passed the antenna, the label is peeled from the web and applied to a package, as described above. However, the RFID tag may be a bad tag. A bad tag may be a tag where either antenna is either unable to properly encode the tag or unable to read information from the RFID tag. For example, the encode signal sent from the antenna to the RFID tag may not be received properly at the tag. This may cause the microchip in the tag to be encoded improperly. A tag may not be encoded properly when the microchip does not contain essential identification information that was transmitted to the tag. Alternatively, the RFID tag may not properly respond to a read signal transmitted by the antenna. For example, after transmitting a read signal to the tag, the antenna may receive a corrupted response signal or no response signal at all from the tag. In either of these situations, the RFID tag is a bad tag and may not allow for later users to read the proper information from the label or tag.
Yet, current label application systems apply the label to the surface of a package regardless of whether the RFID tag is a bad tag or not. Current systems pull the web with one or more bad RFID tags past the antenna to the peeling edge, where the bad tag is separated from the web and placed onto a package. Because of this application of bad labels without regard to whether the tag is a good or bad tag, several packages may be affixed with labels that either contain incorrect identification information or are unable to be read by an antenna or scanner.
Thus, a need exists for an apparatus and method for inhibiting the peeling of bad RFID labels from a web. Such an apparatus and method can decrease the number of bad RFID tags that are peeled from a web and applied to a package. The apparatus and method can reduce the number of packages with incorrect or unreadable identification labels, thus increasing the accuracy and reliability of a package labeling system.